Movie Review: The Debt

The Debt

R, 1 hr. 53 min.

Directed By

John Madden

Written By

Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn,Peter Straughan

Genres

Mystery & Suspense, Drama

Main Actors: Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, Ciaran Hines.

Easy On The Eyes Factor: (Actor Beauty: Scale of 1 to 10): 4

30 Minute Rule: (Does the movie grab you in the first 30 Minutes): Yes.

Plot: The espionage thriller begins in 1997, as shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel (Helen Mirren) and Stephan (Tom Wilkinson) about their former colleague David (Ciarán Hinds). All three have been venerated for decades by their country because of the mission that they undertook back in 1966, when the trio (portrayed, respectively, by Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas, and Sam Worthington tracked down Nazi war criminal Vogel (Jesper Christensen) in East Berlin. At great risk, and at considerable personal cost, the team's mission was accomplished - or was it? The suspense builds in and across two different time periods, with startling action and surprising revelations. -- (C) Focus

My Review: The Debt is just ok for me. Not boring, but won't have you on the edge of your seat either. It goes back and forth in time a few times to let you understand how the characters came to be who they are and why. For some, movies with time chronology can be an issue. It wasn't that big of a deal in this specific film. If you like to root for winners and losers in movies, The Debt has both and you can decide who you want to come out on top. It is also a movie about values and morals. For the most part, it does not drag on. It gets right to the point and character development is quick. Which is a good thing for me. If you are a fan of Jewish Holocaust subject matter, this movie might pull you in as it did for me. It's one of my favorite subject matters in movies and The Debt deals with it in a totally new, rarely touched fashion.

From an acting standpoint, Helen Mirren and Tom Wilkinson are always good. No matter what they play in. So there is no issues there. Their characters are very believable and you will enjoy their relationship, both the old and young versions. As for Ciarán Hinds, he's a relatively unknown actor by name, but if you've watched enough movies, you will recognize him immediately. The younger versions of these characters were played by Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas, and Sam Worthington who are all pretty much new comers in Hollywood, but have a very bright futures.

Rating: 6 out of 10. ♥♥♥♥♥♥